


Gone

by ShadeShadow234



Category: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Book 4: Empire of Ivory, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstanding, fake out character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 01:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12665169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeShadow234/pseuds/ShadeShadow234
Summary: Faintly, he is aware he is crooning Laurence’s name, and oh-so-gently he reaches a hand into the cave, to scoop Laurence into his hold and protect him from anything that may hurt him further, but that won’t do anything, because Laurence is dead





	Gone

**Author's Note:**

> I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS SCENE OK BECAUSE IT HURTS ME

Temeraire scans the land anxiously, ducking under a well aimed swipe. Impatient, he spirals into the sky, before tucking his wings into a dive and far out speeding the desperate dragon trying to fend him off. He doesn’t not have time for this, not while Laurence might be hurt or bleeding or dea... or dearly missing him.

He soars over a field, and for a moment he swears he hears his name and a direction from one of the workers, and that moment is enough to have him veering sharply off, until he lands by a large crack in the ground.

Because the crack smells of blood and Laurence, not a combination that belongs, not here nor anywhere else.

Sure enough, there is his crew, all of them huddled into a corner as if guarding someone, and there is Harcourt and...

Laurence isn’t there.

_Laurence isn’t **there.**_

Harcourt squints up at him, as he desperately peers into every crack and corner of the cave, as if Laurence had folded himself in half and hidden in some dark place.

“Temeraire? Good god!” She turns to the crews, and makes motions to move them apart. “Go, go! It is alright, it is only Temeraire.” She turns to Temeraire, but her words don’t quite come across. Something about Laurence and leaving, but that makes no sense, because Laurence hasn’t left, he’s sitting right there.

He’s sitting right there and he’s... he’s not moving. There is no outcry of his name, no “My dear,”, no life.

It’s then that the smell of blood comes back to him. Ferris is still by Laurence’s side, murmuring something, but it doesn’t matter because Laurence is dead, Laurence has died, because Temeraire left him behind and was too slow, too slow to find him, too slow to come back, too slow...

Faintly, he is aware he is crooning Laurence’s name, and oh-so-gently he reaches a hand into the cave, to scoop Laurence into his hold and protect him from anything that may hurt him further, but that won’t do anything, because Laurence is dead

He is tackled away from the ravine by a heavyweight, and he can’t stop the divine wind that tears out of him like a scream.

 

**Author's Note:**

> HNNNNNNGH  
> I just need to talk about this ok because it’s not given that much detail in the book because Laurence is unconscious but like  
> I imagine they all huddle around him when a dragon comes because he’s still recovering from the last whipping so when Temeraire comes he just sees this clump of people and no Laurence and when he does see Laurence Laurence isn’t moving and he’s unconscious and he thinks him dead because he just can’t register what anyone is saying because why else would Ferris be whispering to Laurence  
> And like I wanted to work in Laurence managing out a ‘My Dear’ before falling back unconscious but there’s no mention of such a thing in the book and it hurt my heart too much  
> ITS HALF A PARAGRAPH HOW DARE IT GIVE ME THIS MUCH FEELINGS


End file.
